SA business pioneer dies

South African business pioneer Dr Richard Maponya died in the early hours of yesterday after a short illness.

In a short statement, the family said funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.

“The family requests some privacy during this time of grieving.”

A trained teacher, he started his business career in the clothing industry, but was blocked from opening a clothing store by the apartheid government.

He then established a milk delivery service in Soweto and by the 1970s owned a number of shops, petrol stations and car dealerships.

He became the first owner of a black-owned BMW dealership in Soweto in the 1980s, and also became the first black person to get horse-racing colours, reported the Mail & Guardian.

“These were the black, green and gold of the then both banned African National Congress and Pan-Africanist Congress, making some white jockeys uncomfortable racing for him.” — Fin24.